Blue Fire
by laddiegirl
Summary: Teenaged girl. Homeless. Gangbound. Professoinal Theif. Helpless? Not at all. When her magic starts to break away from her, magic she never knew she had, she meets the strangest mages: Briar, Tris, Sandry, and Daja.
1. Prologue

**A/N: First Tamora Pierce FF. So be kind. ish. I don't care, flame me if you want.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own any chcts that will appear. most are from Circle of Magic series. Though the plot and random chcts are my own. **

Blue fire shimmered around the girl as she stood on the garden wall. Her long black hair whipped around her thin frame. Lightning rippled across the ends of her hair, clinging to her simple dress wherever it hit. Her bright blue eyes were focussed on something in front of her, her small mouth set in a scowl. Why couldn't people just leave her alone? Well, they had to learn sometime. She just wished it wasn't in the middle of the day. There were too many people to see. She wasn't even supposed to be outside yet. Her job as a pickpocket was easier in the dark, with less people to see her come and go. The bullies continued to stare, as did many other people, but the lightning continued to flicker and ripple.

The bullies looked scared now. They tried not to show it, but they knew. Everyone knew. This girl had untapped magic, uncontrolled, unused magic. And someone had to stop it.

* * *

**A/N: There's the prologue. hope you like it. Please review!**

**laddie**


	2. Just the Beginning

Briar looked at the sullen girl on the horse beside him. Her small mouth set in the scowl that had been there since they had left for Discipline the night before. Her blue eyes staring at the saddle. Her long black hair covering most of her face. It hadn't taken them long for them to arrive at Winding Circle's gates, but the girl had refused to enter. Claiming she'd rather spend another night as a thief in jail than at the temple community. Briar, a former street rat himself, knew there would be no jail for this girl. She had the double X's. The mark of a thief caught twice. She had been caught for her third time when Briar found her. An impish grin spread across his tan face as he remembered the day and what she had said.

_Briar walked past the legislature building, hearing strange commotion inside. He glanced at the shakkans at his side in the cart. He was to take them to the Summersea market and sell them. But whatever this noise was, it sounded important. He placed a bubble of protection around the cart and donkey, and left them outside of the building. _

_It was an auction of some kind. He had seen them before, but normally it was a horse auction, or a livestock one. This one was selling people. _

_Briar ventured closer. These people didn't look like slaves. Duke Vedris doesn't allow slaves in Emelan. They didn't look old enough to be slaves anyway. Most were only little kids, street slang for a child. But there was one who stood out from the rest. A girl of about sixteen, slender, long flowing black hair and bright angry blue eyes. But that's not what caught his eye. In Briar's magical vision, he saw the girl blaze with uncontrolled power. He knew what he had to do, even if he knew Rosethorn would haggle him for weeks about it. _

_He strolled up to a nearby clerk. "Who's she?" _

_The clerk looked up from the forms he'd been filling out. "A thief, destined for the mines or the docks. Unless you'd like to make an offer, Sir, "he paused._

"_Moss. Briar Moss. And yes I'd like to make an offer. I need a mages assistant in my workroom. She looks like she wouldn't fumble."_

"_Oh course." The clerk raised his voice. "The purchase of, Bright Eyes, shall be given to the Mage Briar."_

_The girl, Bright Eyes, raised her head. She gazed defiantly at Briar for a moment, then looked at the shackles on her hands and feet. Briar signaled to a guard to let her free. He watched as the shackles came off her feet, then her hands. She rubbed her wrists, and he saw the black X's tattooed between her thumb and forefinger on both hands. _

_He walked slowly over to her. He waited until he was standing directly in front of her before speaking. "Good afternoon, Bright Eyes." _

_She muttered something physically impossible to do in Tradertalk. _

"_I know more curses than you could stand to know. Now would not be the time for learning them all," he replied in the same language. "How'd you learn Trader anyways?"_

"_I lived with them for four years. Useful language ain't it?" She sighed. "So what's a Bag like you want with a kid like me?"_

"_You have magic and need instruction. I'll be your teacher until we know what your power is." Briar winced. He didn't mean to tell her this yet._

_Bright Eyes shrugged. "Fine."_

Briar looked once again at the slender figure in the saddle. She was acting strangely agreeable since they left the Mire the night before. He hoped this wasn't a sigh of trouble to come.


	3. Names and Lineage

**A/N: Here's chapter 3. terribly sorry for the long wait. I've been at my cottage, and the files don't compute, and other lovely crap. but here ya go!**

"You know, you're going to have to choose a different name. Bright Eyes isn't really a name, it's a," Briar paused. He wanted to do this earlier, but Bright Eyes had insisted on keeping it.

"Label. That's all it is. A way to keep thieves in check. No one knows my real name, except King. But then again, she knows everyone's." Bright Eyes spoke quietly. They were still a ways off from Winding Circle, and there were people travelling on the road, some bound for the Temple, others for the country. She turned sly eyes towards Briar. "I was to be here replacement you know. She was retiring in a few months."

"You would've made a very good King, but you still need to pick a decent name." Briar sighed. Now she was just going to be difficult.

Bright Eyes glared at Briar. "You have plants for names. Am I supposed to do the same?"

The boy winced. She was right. _She normally is_, he thought. "No, you can pick any name you want."

She paused, looking down at the saddle. "Alessandra. It's my real name. After my Grandmama." Stutteringly, her story came out.

"I used to live a noble life you know. I belonged to one of the greatest families in Summersea. But when my parents died, no one wanted me, because I caused so much trouble. So I ran. I hid in alleys, fought off drunken thugs, and tried to get by. The Mire was the only place I could go. I lived there unnoticed for 3 years. Until some bullies were bugging me, and lightning came off my hair. Then King took me in. Said if I was to survive I had to play by her rules. I agreed." She looked at Briar quickly. She could see a look of sadness in his eyes, almost hidden by interest. "I learned everything I know from her. Everything. So there, you now know my life story."

"You still have to choose a name," Briar commented. He watched her slump in the saddle, chin jutting out in defiance. "You look just like my mate Sandry when you do that, you know?"

"No I didn't know, and I was thinking, thank you very much," Bright Eyes retorted. She thought for a little while longer. "Alessandra. I'll keep my old name."

Briar nodded. "We'll decide on a last name later. When we get to winding circle."

Alessandra nodded, unsettled. Would people accept her here? Would they care that her family was brought down by their own doubts and greeds?

**A/N: Please review!! Sorry for the shortness. Need the books to continue.**

**laddie**


	4. Door Slamming

**Ok, yea. REAL sorry about the wait, but school got busy then there were exams, I'm done now and should have more time, no guarantees, but i'll make it up to you by at least posting another chapter. Enjoy!**

Briar stormed out of Aless's rooms. Had the girls been this disagreeable when they were sixteen? He couldn't remember. Tris giggled as he passed her, quietly fuming as he paced the hallway at Discipline Cottage. It had been a while since the four had been here, but on Aless's insistence, they had come. The girls were just captivated with her, as she was with them. As it turned out, all four young mages had something to teach her: Briar with his plants, Daja with her metalwork, Sandry with sewing magic, and Tris most of all. Since the girl had been found sparking lightning, Tris was the first Briar turned to.

"She finally got you beat, huh?" Tris asked, watching Briar wear a path in the floor.

"No. Just...stopped. I can't teach her anymore about plants, but I can't leave her! She's too young to leave with you," he paused, glancing at Tris, "no, offense."

"None taken, yet. I know you value her sanity."

Aless stuck her head out of the door. "No he doesn't. He just wants to kill me that's all." She slammed the door before Briar could get a hold of it. They could hear her quiet, victorious laughter behind the door.

"That girl's something all right." Daja had snuck up the steps, Sandry behind her.

"Briar, what have you done to the poor girl now?" Sandry asked, going over to him, making him stop pacing. He tried to wiggle free, but she stopped him. "Take one more step and I'll have your clothes bind you to the floor."

He sighed, knowing he was beaten.

Ok, so there's just a quick chapter, sorry don't really have time for more. And i kinda have to remember where this plot was going. Oops.

laddie


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